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AirTalk Oct. 9, 2026
Views on death penalty, why adults are playing with toys, Dave Beran on Michelin star restaurant, FilmWeek and looking back at comedies of the early 2000s.
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18:32
Has your view on the death penalty shifted over the years?
The firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, the Pentagon said Thursday, a stunning revelation about plans for the first military execution in more than 65 years after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had described it as being “public.” Meanwhile, here in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled he’s considering sparing the lives of the over 500 people on California’s death row as one of his final acts in office. We talk about how views surrounding the death penalty have changed.
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17:03
Adults are buying more toys than ever and not for their kids
The numbers are in, and toys are now for adults. Research group Circana found that in the first half of the year, adult-only households made up 55% of toy sales. So what’s going on here, and why are adults flocking to the toy aisle?
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14:00
James Beard award-winning chef Dave Beran on restaurant Seline
Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation awarded local chef Dave Beran the honor of California’s Best Chef for his work at Seline, a fine-dining restaurant he owns in Santa Monica. Beran shares his experience as chef-owner for Seline and Pasjoli, and we try some of his dishes.
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35:30
FilmWeek: ‘The Social Reckoning,’ ‘Musk,’ ‘Tenzing’ and more!
FilmWeek critics Katie Walsh and Claudia Puig join host Larry Mantle to discuss the biggest releases of the week, including screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning of which Sorkin also directs. And they’ll review this year’s Palm d’Or winner at Cannes, Fjord, about a Romanian family in Norway fighting allegations of child abuse.
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14:00
Feature: The ‘Frat Pack’ comedies of the early 2000s
In his new book, 'Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever,' film critic and author Matt Singer discusses the comedy boom of the early aughts, the “Frat Pack” that dominated the era, and the lessons contemporary studios can take from their success.
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The significance of an AAPI mayor, sneaking around parents, Yellow Paper Burger, FilmWeek and the American French Film Festival. -
Jensen Huang resigns as Nvidia CEO, Lucy Jones on her new Center for Disaster Resilience, Caltech’s new exhibit, Prop. 45 and the future of CEQA and TV Talk.
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Why Prop 40 failed, veterans' issues, Gen Z intimacy, LA's harm reduction program, Gen Z film culture and Route 66 turns 100.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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